The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an amendment to Nigeria’s mental health law aimed at decriminalising attempted suicide and shifting the country’s approach from punishment to treatment, care and support.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting.
According to Pate, the proposed amendment to the National Mental Health Act will be forwarded to the National Assembly as an executive Bill.
The minister said the reform is intended to end the application of colonial-era laws that currently treat attempted suicide as a criminal offence.
Under the proposed changes, people who attempt to take their own lives would be treated primarily as individuals requiring mental health and medical support, rather than as criminal offenders.
Existing Laws
Pate explained that attempted suicide remains criminalised under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 231 of the Penal Code.
He argued that these provisions can discourage people experiencing psychological distress from seeking professional help and are inconsistent with the principles of the National Mental Health Act, which provides for treatment, protection and supportive care for people at risk of self-harm.
According to the minister, suicide accounts for more than 7,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, while about 300,000 suicide attempts are recorded across the country each year, citing World Health Organisation statistics.
He said the government wants to change the existing approach so that people experiencing suicidal distress can receive the appropriate medical and psychosocial intervention.
“The idea is that attempting suicide is not a crime,” Pate said.
He compared the current approach to punishing someone for suffering from an illness, arguing that mental health conditions should be addressed with the same compassion and treatment-focused approach given to other health conditions.
“So it’s changing the paradigm to one whereby they require care and support,” he added.
If passed by the National Assembly and signed into law, the amendment would represent a significant change in Nigeria’s legal and public-health response to suicide attempts.